NHS/NFZ assistance for British expat

Hi,

As I'm still under my 90 days since I last left the country, I've not registered here and therefore still legally a tourist, despite working.

Anyway, I need to see a GP, will most certainly need some tests. If I understand the website correctly then I can go to any doctor with the NFZ logo and get seen but I might still have to pay something. Is this correct? Does anybody know such an English speaking Doctor in Gdansk?

Here's the info i have: nfz.gov.pl/ue/?katnr=5&dzialnr=2&artnr=716&czartnr=2

Thanks

Tony

Yep, it pretty much works like that. Make sure to take the European health care card along when you register and when you see the doctor, and there shouldn't be any issues. There isn't any clearcut guidance as to what is and what isn't free - my local osiedle doctor doesn't charge for anything that Poles would get free, but I've heard of doctors charging for everything and then leaving it for people to apply for a refund from their home country.

Of course, if you're not EU, then it complicates things :P

Hi,

thanks for the help :) It's good to see somebody knows what's going on :))

I am EU so that's nice and easy.

The school I work for are being as 'helpful' as ever. I explained that I need a NFZ doctor who speaks English and asked them if they would be kind enough to phone around the local surgeries to find one for me. This they would not do, but, they were kind enough to find me a list of addresses and telephone numbers for NFZ doctors - which I told them twice I already had. Then they left me to visit/telephone these people myself. As with the time they sent me to get a NIP and all they gave me was a street name, they still haven't quite grasped the fact that a) I don't speak Polish and b) I have no idea how things work in this country.

oh, they also told me that it was impossible for me to get medical help here without a medical book etc.. they really have no bloody idea.

Tony

Are you near Wrzeszcz?

No, I'm in Stare Przedmieście

I asked because there's some NFZ outfit on Grunwaldzka just up from Aleppo. Not sure if they do 'basic' doctoring, but I *do* know that the receptionist speaks English :)

Jesus, I'm a complete moron. I've just noticed the 'British Expat' part in the title.

Don't bother with the NIP if you don't need it, especially as not being registered will probably cause all sorts of confusion and arguments with the tax office. You (officially) don't need to be registered in Poland to get a NIP - but I wouldn't fancy my chances of explaining this to the tax office ladies!

Finding an English speaking doctor is going to be tricky - but did you know that you can often see a private doctor ridiculously cheaply? I was quoted 120zł in Poznań to see an (English speaking!) doctor and to get the tests done. It might be worth just doing that in the meantime, until you can get your hands on an English speaking doctor.

You've got my pity that they won't phone around for you - I can't for the life of me understand this attitude of certain schools, who seem to fail to understand that foreigners here need sometimes just that little bit of extra support.

As for the medical book - nope, no need for it. But the problem is that many of these NFZ-funded practices are still stuck in pre-EU times - my local one had never seen the European card before!

Hi,
One of my students is a doctor and says some of the specialists in her department run private practises. So, she's going to give me some details tonight and then I can get what I need.

Flaming heck, in England, I'd have just gone to the nurse at my local surgery, peed in a bottle and got a perscription if needed. Here it's going to be bloody rocket science just to find the initial contact. Failing that, I could fake some additional symptoms and get see as an emergency - which i'm not quite willing to do... yet.

Good luck with that. Getting seen by a halfway decent doctor when you are a genuine emergency is hard enough.

If I were you I'd be heading to the nearest private clinic (Medicover have one in Gdansk I think). Private medical cover is a damn good idea here and not hugely expensive, Medicover starts at 95zl per month, which is the same as a couple of beers a week.

A couple of beers for 95zl, my goodness, what brand do you drink?! :)
ohhh, beers/week, cover/month, I get you now :)

thanks for the advice, I'll look into that.

Oh, I completely agree with the nonsense here over doing some of the simplest things - especially the nonsense with the NFZ covering everyone, but in some convoluted, complicated way.

However, it definitely seems that the rules regarding the European cards are flexible - as far as I can tell, it's supposed to be emergency care only. But the reality is that it depends on the practice - for instance, my local one is perfectly happy to accept me on the same basis as a Polish NFZ-paying individual. Which isn't bad, really :)

Yes, these cards are supposed to be emergency only. But I've heard of Polish friends in England getting full non-emergency treatment including stays in hospital without even having a card, never mind showing it.

I'm sure in the case of most hospitals and doctors, they genuinely want to make people better.

Anyway, it turns out that many of my students are doctors and one gave me a prescription today so hopefully I'll be OK and can sort out a GP registration soon too.